Shoutout to Alinaza for the commission!
Outside, Cen Mingshu had been knocking for nearly ten minutes, with no one answering.
Just as she was about to take out her phone to have someone check again, the door suddenly opened.
The person she had been searching for half the night was wearing a neatly tailored round-neck dress, smiling and calling: “Little aunt!”
After shouting, she nodded at Cen Li standing beside Cen Mingshu, and continued: “Older Brother.”
“I was just about to come find you, little aunt,” Jiang Se pressed the door open, stepping aside to let them in, “Come in quickly, it’s too cold outside.”
Cen Mingshu frowned, her gaze scanning Jiang Se’s face.
Too calm.
Last night, over the phone, Cen Mingshu could tell Jiang Se’s emotions had been suppressed to the breaking point.
Cen Mingshu had thought she would lose control like seven years ago. Even if she wouldn’t require sedatives this time, she shouldn’t be this calm.
She had even contacted Dr. Gina and was prepared to drag her over to Dr. Gina’s office at any moment.
Seeing Jiang Se like this now, she couldn’t help hesitating for a moment.
Cen Mingshu’s two beams were like lasers, Jiang Se’s forehead was about to be stared through with two holes.
She had no choice but to stretch out her foot to block the door, smiling as she said: “How about you just wait here for me? I don’t have many things, I can pack in a bit.”
“It’s so cold outside, wait for what, I’ll go with you to get your things.” Cen Mingshu finally stepped in, “Just right, Ah Li happens to have something to talk to Little Lu about, he’s here, right?”
The words at the back carried a probing tone. Once she asked, Cen Mingshu looked toward the living room, which was empty, not a single person in sight.
Then she looked toward the dining room and the garden, still no one.
“How would Little Chairman Lu always be here?” Jiang Se raised a brow, “Last night I didn’t want to stay at the hospital, so after he brought me over, he left. He doesn’t often stay at this villa, only lent it to me for one night. If you want to look for him, this isn’t where you should come.”
Cen Li looked at Jiang Se and echoed: “Ah Yan usually, when returning to Beicheng, either stays at Ruidu Huafu or goes back to the Lu family’s old house. He indeed doesn’t come to this villa often. It was Auntie Han who used to live here more.”
Hearing that, Jiang Se looked at Cen Li, her gaze sweeping past the stubble on his chin, “Older Brother, are you looking for Little Chairman Lu for something? If you’ve got something urgent, you can go first, I only need my aunt here.”
Cen Li smiled, stepped forward, and took Jiang Se’s injured hand to look at it. Gently, he said: “Even if I were in a rush, it wouldn’t be so bad that I couldn’t spare even a moment for you. How’s the injury on your hand?”
When they were young, Cen Li often held Jiang Se’s hand to take her out to play. Every amusement park in Beicheng, he had taken Jiang Se to, and they’d checked in at Disneyland all around the world.
Little Jiang Se actually loved to act spoiled; even a small cut on her hand she would go tell Cen Li about.
As she grew older, she rarely stayed stuck behind Cen Li like a little tail anymore. When she got sick, she wouldn’t complain about the pain, as if in one night she had become a strong girl.
But no matter how strong a girl is, she will still have moments of weakness.
And as her older brother, whenever she needed him, he was always absent.
It was like that seven years ago, it was like that when she left Beicheng for Tongcheng, and it was like that last night.
A hint of self-blame showed on Cen Li’s handsome, elegant face. Jiang Se glanced at him, calmly pulled her hand back, and lightly said: “Just a small injury, Older Brother, it’s not like you don’t know, I’m not as afraid of pain as I was when I was little.”
After she finished, she led them into the living room, “Wait here, I’ll go upstairs to pack my things, I’ll be down soon.”
She didn’t even turn her head as she walked up the stairs. When she reached the second floor, she went straight toward the master bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it; the set of actions done as smoothly as flowing water.
Lu Huaiyan was sitting on the sofa by the window, one arm lazily draped over the sofa armrest, looking at Jiang Se with an almost-smile.
“The whiskey in the small dining room hasn’t been put away yet.” he reminded her kindly.
“It’s fine, just say I drank it, Little Aunt won’t suspect anything.”
She acted too normal, which made Cen Mingshu uneasy. Only if she did something crazy, like drinking to vent, would she relax a little.
The master bedroom door hadn’t been closed earlier, so Lu Huaiyan had naturally heard the conversation of the people downstairs.
Glancing at the hand wrapped in gauze, he got up from the sofa and walked toward her, lowering his voice as he asked: “Where are the things you need to pack? I’ll get them for you.”
Jiang Se looked at him, then pressed her gaze toward the bathroom to the side, saying: “They’re all inside, the clothes I took off last night and the bag. As for the gift Grandpa Lu gave me, leave it here for now.”
The man tossed out a “Wait” and then went into the bathroom.
A minute later, he came out carrying a gift bag.
Inside were exactly the things she’d mentioned: the dress, the undergarments she’d worn, and the wrist bag.
Lu Huaiyan handed the gift bag over and slowly asked: “Anything else?”
“No.” Jiang Se shook her head.
After taking the bag, she didn’t rush to leave. She just stood there looking at Lu Huaiyan. A few seconds later, she said: “Thank you.”
Lu Huaiyan was too lazy even to reply with “you’re welcome,” only said: “Leave me ten minutes the night after tomorrow, I’ll bring you something.”
“What thing?”
“Something that’ll help you sleep better.”
He had stayed up all night, his voice carrying some hoarseness. When he said that, Jiang Se couldn’t help recalling everything that had happened last night, her gaze wavering slightly.
Lu Huaiyan especially liked looking at her eyes, and naturally, this moment was no exception.
He stared at her eyes and curled his lips into a smile: “What are you thinking?”
Jiang Se half lowered her eyelids and calmly replied: “They’re still waiting downstairs, I’m going down. See you the day after tomorrow?”
Lu Huaiyan nodded: “See you the day after tomorrow.”
After he finished speaking, he slipped one hand into his pocket and leaned back against the wall behind him, his gaze quietly resting on her until her silhouette disappeared at the end of the corridor, only then did he withdraw his eyes.
—
Cen Mingshu’s car was parked right outside. After getting in, she didn’t drive toward home but toward the bustling commercial district in the east of Beicheng.
Seeing the familiar route, Jiang Se knew Cen Mingshu was taking her to see Dr. Gina.
“Vacation isn’t even over, and you’re making Dr. Gina come back to work; isn’t that too inhumane?”
Cen Mingshu said: “Gina is my old classmate, she doesn’t mind at all, what are you protesting about?”
Jiang Se went along with her words: “Fine, you’ve already made the appointment, then let’s go.”
Her agreeing so straightforwardly surprised Cen Mingshu a bit: “Why aren’t you resisting seeing the doctor anymore?”
Jiang Se smiled at Cen Mingshu: “If I don’t go, won’t you worry so much you won’t even be able to sleep?”
Sitting in the backseat, Cen Li heard their conversation and only then belatedly said: “Sese, you’re still seeing… a psychologist?”
Jiang Se looked in his direction and nodded: “I didn’t like the doctor Mrs. Ji arranged before, so Little Aunt later switched me to Dr. Gina. You know Mrs. Ji never liked me getting too close to Little Aunt, so this matter wasn’t told to you all. Anyway, you were always busy, whether you knew or not, the result was the same.”
She stated it calmly, without a bit of resentment.
But Cen Li felt very uncomfortable.
So Sese had never gotten over what happened back then. No wonder last night, when Little Aunt learned she had been drugged, she almost flipped the entire place over.
Seeing Cen Li’s face turn pale in an instant, Jiang Se turned her gaze to the window, calmly saying: “Older Brother, weren’t you looking for Lu Huaiyan? I’ll have to stay in Dr. Gina’s office for at least two hours. How about Little Aunt drops you off by the roadside? You can have Butler Yu send a car to pick you up.”
Cen Li said: “I’m not in a rush for Ah Yan. Older Brother will go with you to see the doctor.”
He insisted on going with her. Jiang Se simply let him, responding with a nonchalant “mm,” then looked toward Cen Mingshu, saying: “I’ll be going back to Tongcheng in two days.”
Cen Mingshu glanced at her: “You’re not handling the case here in Beicheng anymore?”
“The officer in charge of this case is Uncle Mo’s son. I trust him.”
As soon as she said that, both Cen Mingshu and Cen Li fell silent.
People always have a certain special trust toward those who once saved them.
Back then, it was Mo Xian who brought Lu Huaiyan to find Jiang Se first, while the Cen family only arrived after Jiang Se had already been sent to the hospital under the Lu Corporation.
Cen Mingshu knew clearly what Jiang Se wanted to do in Tongcheng, so she wasn’t in a hurry to keep her in Beicheng. This child was stubborn, once she set her mind on something, not even ten oxen could pull her back.
“For the next two days, just focus on seeing the doctor. If Gina thinks you’re fine, I naturally won’t stop you.”
Dr. Gina had her own private clinic. Once they arrived, Jiang Se greeted the nurse at the clinic and walked straight into the therapy room as though she were thoroughly familiar with the place.
Almost every employee in the clinic recognized her. It was obvious Jiang Se was a well-liked patient here.
Cen Mingshu picked up a magazine and sat on a couch to the side. She raised a brow at Cen Li, impatiently saying: “Put away that face. Your parents aren’t dead yet, no need to act like that so early.”
Cen Li stayed silent. Just as Cen Mingshu was about to open the magazine, he suddenly asked: “Sese hasn’t gotten better, why didn’t you tell me, Little Aunt?”
He could understand why she never told Cen Minghong and Ji Yunyi.
But him? Why hide it even from him?
Cen Mingshu lifted her eyes from the magazine, looking at Cen Li coldly as she said: “Because regarding that incident back then, Sese has never forgiven any of you. Including you, Ah Li. Last night, when Little Yu and I went to the hospital to find Sese, do you remember where you were? You stayed at the Cen house. You have always stayed at the Cen house.”
—
When she came out of the therapy room, Cen Li was already gone.
“Where’s Older Brother?”
“He had something urgent and left. Don’t worry about him.” Cen Mingshu closed her magazine, stood up, and looked Jiang Se over. “How do you feel?”
“Pretty good.” Jiang Se said with an unchanged expression, “Feels like a small stone inside my heart was moved away.”
“What did Gina say?”
“The same as before. Told me to keep taking my medication. After tomorrow’s session, keep coming twice a month for at least a month.”
The tension in Cen Mingshu’s heart eased slightly. She looked at Jiang Se seriously: “If you’re going back to Tongcheng, I won’t stop you. But promise me, whatever needs treatment, treat it properly. If coming back to Beicheng isn’t convenient, I’ll have Gina recommend a local doctor in Tongcheng.”
Jiang Se answered very obediently: “I’ll try to make time to come back. I like chatting with Dr. Gina.”
When they exited the clinic, the heavy snow that had fallen for half a month had finally stopped. The azure sky was without a single blemish, clean and pure, like a piece of glass tinted with blue dye.
Looking at the sunlight slanting through the car window and spilling over her hand, Jiang Se suddenly asked on a whim: “Little Aunt, is a relationship with no outcome really worth having?”
Every one of Cen Mingshu’s relationships had ended without blossoming, but that never stopped her from enjoying each romance.
She put on her sunglasses, speaking very freely: “If it makes you feel good or makes you happy, then go for it. If not, then don’t. We came to this world to enjoy happiness, not to trap ourselves in a cage we can’t get in or out of.”
Hearing this, Jiang Se neither agreed nor disagreed, only hummed lightly and turned her gaze toward the window.
Is it exhilarating?
It is quite exhilarating.
Cen Mingshu took out another pair of sunglasses from the console and tossed them to Jiang Se, adding: “Only one piece of advice, don’t mess with the type who, once they fall in love, will cling to you desperately for life. Best to choose someone who can part peacefully when fate ends.”
Cling for life?
Jiang Se thought of Lu Huaiyan’s pair of cold, thin eyes and let out a quiet laugh: “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t touch that kind of person.”
Cen Mingshu shot her a glance and said nothing more.
The only thing she ever interfered with regarding Jiang Se was her medical care. Everything else, she never involved herself.
They only returned to the apartment after having dinner at a hotel. At night, after showering, Jiang Se sat on the bed and looked over the documents Mo Jichen had sent.
She stared at the picture of that bottle of rose crystal sugar on the screen, pressed her fingertip on it, and forwarded the image to a number with no name.
In the chat window, the newest message above the image was the one about No. 38 Jinxiu Alley.
Jiang Se lowered her head and slowly typed a new message into the chat window: 【Handmade rose crystal sugar from an old Beicheng brand. Check the transaction records for the past six months.】
After the message was successfully sent, she tossed the phone aside and closed her eyes as if to nap. Remembering something, she suddenly opened her eyes, pulled open the bedside drawer, took out a tablet, and opened her stock account.
That day, after watching the surveillance videos of the Hu family, Zhang family, and Gu family’s second-generation heirs, Lu Huaiyan had told her: “Why wait until later? No need to wait.”
The three companies were likely to experience considerable turbulence soon.
It was a businessperson’s instinct. When it was time to take a share, there was no need to act reserved.
Without blinking, Jiang Se used all the funds in her account to buy a large batch of put options.
Just as she finished her operation… the phone beside her pillow suddenly vibrated, a WeChat message coming in.
Lu Huaiyan: 【Time.】
Jiang Se stared at that message for two seconds.
A few months ago, their connection in Tongcheng had begun with a similar text message.
She picked up her phone and slowly replied to him: 【Nine o’clock.】
—
The appointment was at nine, but the next night, Jiang Se still went downstairs twenty minutes early.
As if he had already figured out this habit of hers, the moment she came out, she saw Lu Huaiyan’s car.
The black sedan was pulled over with its hazard lights on; he was wearing a black coat, leaning against the hood looking at his phone, his tall and straight figure lit up by the dim yellow lights.
Noticing the movement on her end, the man lifted his eyes from his phone and turned his head toward her, his gaze landing steadily on her face. When she got closer, he lifted the phone in his hand slightly and said, “I wanted to send you a message, but I also wanted to see how early you’d come this time.”
Jiang Se: “How long have you been here?”
“Not long,” he lowered his gaze to look at Jiang Se’s left hand, “How’s the injury on your hand?”
Jiang Se said honestly: “It’s about to scab, a bit itchy.”
Lu Huaiyan lifted his gaze, looked at her, and said: “Even if it’s itchy, you have to bear it.”
Putting his phone back in his pocket, he straightened up and opened the passenger door, taking out a tightly sealed official lacquered box from the seat and handing it over, “The things I mentioned yesterday that can help you sleep well.”
When the man reached it out, a warm and rich fragrance rose with the movement. Jiang Se didn’t need to open the box to know what it was.
She accepted the heavy lacquered box and looked at Lu Huaiyan, asking: “Isn’t the agarwood of your Lu family all Grandpa Lu’s treasures?”
The Lu family’s agarwood used expensive and rare materials. Though new incense was made every year, the aged agarwood grew fewer year by year. Old Master Lu treasured it dearly and rarely gave any away.
Jiang Se had once been obsessed with this scent, so she naturally recognized its value. She knew the incense cakes Lu Huaiyan brought were all old agarwood; only old agarwood could be smelled even through the lacquered box.
Lu Huaiyan smiled, not caring much, and said: “Grandfather spares a few boxes for me every year from between his fingers. I can’t finish them.”
Jiang Se lifted her eyelids to glance at him.
In the hospital, just a small movement had made him notice her particular attachment to this agarwood, even sensing that the scent could bring her some degree of comfort.
This man was too perceptive; he had never been someone who could be casually fooled.
Though snow had started falling at night, it was much lighter than before, tiny specks drifting in the yellow light, like fluffy flowers falling in spring.
Meeting Jiang Se’s gaze, Lu Huaiyan let out a soft laugh: “Don’t want it?”
Jiang Se said: “I want it.”
Lu Huaiyan looked at her for a moment, then pointed his chin at the lacquered box in her hands, saying: “There’s a business card inside. He’s someone in Tongcheng who handles things for me. If you run into troublesome matters and need help, go to him.”
After saying that, he glanced at the apartment building behind her, “Go back, the snow’s getting heavier.”
Jiang Se hummed in reply: “When will you be going to Tongcheng?”
Seemingly surprised she would take the initiative to ask about his schedule, Lu Huaiyan raised his brows slightly. His gaze on her deepened: “Grandfather caught a cold some time ago. Once he’s better, I’ll go.”
“Is Grandpa Lu’s illness serious?”
“A minor issue. He still has enough breath to scold me over the phone, and he can still show up on time to lead the Lu Corporation’s morning meetings every day.”
Jiang Se curled her lips and smiled: “I hope Grandpa Lu gets well soon.”
After a pause, she added: “Good night.”
Lu Huaiyan lowered his eyes to look at her, returned a “Good night,” and only after Jiang Se’s figure disappeared into the apartment lobby’s elevator area did he open the car door, start the engine, and leave.
Back at the apartment, Jiang Se opened the lacquered box, took out a fragrance box, and held it to her nose for a light sniff.
Lu Huaiyan had even prepared an incense burner for her, palm-sized and very delicate.
Jiang Se did not burn any incense. She put the fragrance box back in its place, took out the business card inside, and with a calm expression locked the lacquered box into the cabinet.
She had no intention of using the incense. What she had already quit, she would not indulge in again.
